Segmented Wire Guide Coupling for Tortuous Vessel Navigation

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional 0.014 inch floppy wire guides face challenges in navigating tortuous vessels due to conflicting requirements of flexibility and rigidity, leading to complications during procedures like balloon angioplasty, and the 'Buddy Wire' technique is time-consuming and prone to contamination.

Innovation Solution

A medical system comprising a supplemental wire guide and a tracking element that allows easy and reliable coupling and decoupling, enabling independent translation of the supplemental wire guide, with features like internal threads and a tether for secure attachment and detachment, facilitating navigation through complex vascular structures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If conventional 0.014 inch floppy wire guides are used for navigation of tortuous vessels, then flexibility for navigation is improved, but rigidity to pass through lesions and support catheter devices deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflexibility for navigationVSAvoidrigidity to pass through lesions

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The wire guide system is divided into two separate components: a conventional floppy wire guide for navigation and a supplemental heavy-duty wire guide for support. Each component is optimized for its specific function, with the floppy wire guide providing flexibility for navigation through tortuous vessels and the heavy-duty wire guide providing rigidity for crossing lesions and supporting catheter devices. The tracking element couples these segmented components together, allowing each to perform its specialized function independently while working as a unified system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Strength

If heavy-duty wire guides are used to provide rigidity and support, then strength to pass through lesions is improved, but flexibility for navigation through tortuous vessels deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverigidity to pass through lesionsVSAvoidflexibility for navigation

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The wire guide system is divided into two separate components: a conventional floppy wire guide for navigation and a supplemental heavy-duty wire guide for support. Each component is optimized for its specific function, with the floppy wire guide providing flexibility for navigation through tortuous vessels and the heavy-duty wire guide providing rigidity for crossing lesions and supporting catheter devices. The tracking element couples these segmented components together, allowing each to perform its specialized function independently while working as a unified system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Strength

If the Buddy Wire technique is used to enhance the conventional wire guide with a supplemental wire guide, then support and tracking capability are improved, but procedure time and contamination risk deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesupport and tracking capabilityVSAvoidprocedure time

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The tracking element is pre-configured with coupled passageways designed to receive and guide both the conventional wire guide and the supplemental wire guide in a predetermined arrangement. This preliminary configuration of the tracking element structure allows for rapid coupling and decoupling of the wire guides during the procedure, minimizing the time required for retraction and re-feeding operations and reducing contamination risk by allowing quick changes without restarting the entire procedure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The tracking element is designed with dynamic coupling capabilities, allowing the wire guides to be coupled together for enhanced support during certain phases of the procedure and decoupled when independent operation is needed. The coupled passageways and engagement features enable quick transitions between coupled and decoupled states, providing procedural flexibility that reduces overall procedure time while maintaining the benefits of enhanced support when required.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS8696599B2Medical systems, devices and methods for coupling wire guides

Publication Date: 2014.04.15 COOK MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC

AI summary

Medical systems, devices and methods are provided for coupling a wire guide to a previously introduced wire guide in intracorporeal procedures, and generally include a supplemental wire guide and a tracking element. The tracking element defines a first passageway and a second passageway. The first passageway is sized to receive the previously introduced wire guide and the second passageway is sized to receive the supplemental wire guide. The supplemental wire guide is attached to the tracking element in a coupled configuration and detached from the tracking element in a decoupled configuration for independent translation of the supplemental wire guide.